Borden Grammar School

Borden Grammar School is a selective state school in Sittingbourne, Kent. It's boys-only for children aged 11 to 16 and has a mixed sixth form. The school prides itself on its students who are described as honest, friendly and proud, taught by teachers who have the necessary expertise to stretch, support and challenge.

Ofsted has consistently rated Borden as ‘good’, most recently in November 2021, when it identified the quality of the school’s teachers as a particular strength. The school also has an excellent reputation for its pastoral care of pupils.

• Address: Borden Grammar School, Avenue of Remembrance, Sittingbourne, ME10 4DB
• Local authority: Kent County Council
• School type: boys' grammar with a mixed sixth form
• Headteacher: Ashley Tomlin
• Number of pupils: 800+
• National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 362
• A level results: 54% A*–B
• GCSE results: 43% A*/A/9/8/7

1. Register for the Kent Test

Borden Grammar School uses the Kent Test to select pupils for entry in Year 7. The Kent Test is an 11 plus exam taken by 32 grammar schools in the county.

Registration for the Kent Test will open on Thursday 1st June 2023 and close on Monday 3rd July 2023 at midnight. You will be able to complete your child's registration on the Kent County Council website. If you are also considering grammar schools in Medway, you will need to register separately because these schools do not use the Kent Test.

Supplementary information form

Children who are eligible for the pupil premium, or in receipt of free school meals, may be prioritised for places under the school's admission criteria. If your child falls into one of these categories, you should complete a supplementary information form (SIF) to indicate this. The supplementary information form is available to download from the school website.

The Borden Test

You can also choose for your child to take the optional Borden Test. The advantage of taking this test in addition to the Kent Test is that if your son is a 'near miss' in the Kent Test but does well in the Borden Test, he may be accepted by Borden Grammar School without having to wait for the appeals process in the spring.

If you would like your child to take the Borden Test, you will need to complete the registration form on the school website. The application window will follow the same registration deadline as the Kent Test.

2. Apply for a school place

You will receive your child's results in the Kent Test after 4pm on Wednesday 18th October 2023. If your child has achieved the pass mark in the exam, they will be eligible for grammar school place. You can then name Borden Grammar School as one of your preferred schools on your common application form.

Before listing Borden Grammar School as a preference on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible. Passing the Kent Test will not be a guarantee of a place as more children reach the qualifying standard each year than there are places available.

The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023. The form must be completed for your home local authority – i.e. if you live in Kent you will need to complete the form on the Kent County Council website. If you live in a different local authority, make sure to apply through the relevant website for that council.

Your child will receive four scores on the Kent Test. The results from the English, maths and reasoning sections will all be age-standardised to produce three separate scores, in addition to one overall (aggregate) score.

Children typically need a total score of 332 or more out of the total 423, with no single score lower than 108, to be eligible for a place at a grammar school in Kent.

However, achieving a particular score doesn't guarantee a place at a grammar school, as schools are usually oversubscribed with qualified candidates. We always recommend researching the admission policies for your target schools, looking at their oversubscription criteria and their catchment area. We've included the admission criteria for Borden Grammar School below.

The total number of places available in Year 7 at Borden Grammar School is 150. Before applying any oversubscription criteria, children with a Statement of Special Educational Need (SSEN) or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who name Borden Grammar School will be allocated a place and the number of available places will be reduced accordingly.

If the number of children who have listed Borden Grammar School as their preferred school is greater than the remaining number of places available, the following criteria will be used in order to prioritise candidates:

1. Looked After Children and previously Looked After Children

2. Up to 15% of places are reserved for children in postcodes ME9, ME10, ME11 and ME12 who have been eligible for Free School Meals during Years 3–6

3. Children with a sibling (who they live with) currently attending the school

4. Children with medical, health, social and special access reasons

5. Children living within the school catchment area

Borden Grammar School operates a catchment area to prioritise children who live closer to the school. This is referred to as the 'traditional school areas':

• Postcode areas ME9, ME10, ME11 and ME12. These areas are prioritised
• Postcode areas ME8 and ME13